The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-05
THE DAILY NEWS
neRmrs OF THE FAR WEST.


A Curious Social Study-Pioneer Work
Done by iseeluses.
Few persons who have not considerable
familiarity with some part of the country
westward from the base of the Rockies
have any idea of the great numbers of
men who throughout that region lead
hermitlike lives. To me it is as a matter
Of course ON approaching a dwelling, be
it "a rusty sxi0 cabin on place fit for a
decent family home, to find it occupied
by but one man, who will tell me that he
Is ''baching it, living quite alone except
for the company of stray visitors at odd
times.
Generally the western semi-hermit has
a strong dash of independence in his
character. He is poor, and dislikes to
work with n ''boss" over him, so he sets
out 10 try what he can do on his own ac-
count. He goes about making little
farm. He has a few head of cattle,
small herd of hogs, or something OF that
kind He frequently has a quartz mine
which he is endeavoring to develop by
slow AMI onefou5 toll. In parts where
there is still some gold to be got by placer
mining hc is likely to be engaged for
portion of his time in that method Of
earning ving-nowadays more than
ever am uncertain and ungrateful way of
gaining Subsistence. In a ''wooden
country tire hermit may work with the
ak. cutting fircwood, or making railway
ties, fence rails, posts, shingles, or what
not, according to the suitability of the
timber
An immense amount of the pioneer
work of the new countries is done by the
recluscs. They are always at the front
of regular settlement, rambling around
and exploring until they happen on spots
that strike their fancy. They are the dis
covcrers of the finest tracts of agricul-
tural land, of the best springs, of the
most desirable timber. They know more
about The country in which they dwell
than anybody else. They begin forest
clearings, fence their claims in whole or
part, find out practicable routes for new
trails. They are great fellows for making
plans and schemes ON "A large scale They
nose out all the natural resources and adj
vant.geg of the land, and imagine what
they Go not nose out, and on that foun-
dalton build dreams of fortune. Far
more often than not at all the reward OF
their discoveries, their toll and scheming
is Il bare existence. Here and there one
Oh IiitIl tDtiSitcIdDic prop
erty, but by the time that has been ac-
complished he has become too strongly
fixed in his habits to care for another
mode of life.
They are generally men past or fairly
ON toward middle age who Ego it alone"
in the western lands. The younger fell
lows without families and who are trying
to edo for themselves" always prefer to
have partner; and if. as happens in
most instances, the partnership breaks up
in row, the members of the concern
hunt employment where they can have
companions after their kind. Although
they fove their freedom well enough to
rebel 1T the mastership of partner, they
do not love it well enough to refuse the
nastcrship of an employer at the expense
of being deprived of the sound and sight
of human voices and faces. When a
young man is found living in lonely state
he is in chronic humor of discomfort,
growing viciously at his lack of society
and bent on making n change as soon as
circumstances will admit one. He has
in general come well defined purpose in
view, and is doing his level best to reach
his goal. But rs often as not he becomes
Disguised with himself before his desired
end is attained, and Goes back to join the
crowd.-I.ewis SsoTnaway in New York
Times